The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to additive manufacturing systems and, more particularly, to methods and systems for recoating a component using a controller configured to receive data from a plurality of sensors and to change recoating parameters based on the received data.
At least some additive manufacturing systems involve the buildup of a particulate material to make a component. Such techniques facilitate producing complex components from expensive materials at a reduced cost and with improved manufacturing efficiency. At least some known additive manufacturing systems, such as Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), and LaserCusing® systems, fabricate components using a focused energy source, such as a laser device or an electron beam generator, a build platform, and a particulate, such as, without limitation, a powdered metal. (LaserCusing is a registered trademark of Concept Laser GmbH of Lichtenfels, Germany.) A recoating device forms a build layer of particulate material, and the focused energy source device melts or consolidates the particulate material on the build platform in and around the area where the focused energy source is incident on the particulate material of the build layer, resulting in at least one melt pool or localized particulate material bonding. Each melt pool cools and forms at least a portion of the next layer of the component before the component is recoated with particulate in the build process.
In at least some DMLM systems, a recoat device is used to recoat the component with particulate material after each build layer is scanned by the laser beam. The typical recoat speeds for such systems per build layer is in the range of three to five inches per second. For certain parts, the total build time may take several days. In some instances, the time required to recoat a component per layer prevents significant cost benefits associated with additive manufacturing from being fully realized due to the significant portion of part build time that is required only for recoating. Additionally, the consistency of the particulate distribution in each build layer, which may include surface flatness and roughness, can influence the dimensional accuracy and material properties of the finished component.